


one plus one (equals two)

by the_night_owl1701



Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Fluff, Humor, Neelix stayed on Voyager, Unplanned Pregnancy, and Voyager stayed in the Delta Quadrant, parks and trek
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-04
Updated: 2020-09-04
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:55:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,394
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26280751
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_night_owl1701/pseuds/the_night_owl1701
Summary: They’re coming up on ten years in the Delta Quadrant when Tom gets wind of some intriguing news: a positive pregnancy test found in a resort cabin where Voyager’s crew had recently enjoyed shore leave.
Relationships: Chakotay/Kathryn Janeway
Comments: 12
Kudos: 70





	one plus one (equals two)

**Author's Note:**

> My brother and I were taking a break from Voyager to watch Parks and Rec when he pointed out that Diane seemed familiar. Then she lifted her chin in just the right way and I realized who she reminded me of… You can guess which episode it was ;)
> 
> Title from Beyonce’s 1+1.
> 
> Disclaimer: Voyager and its characters are not mine; I am simply borrowing them for a joyride. 
> 
> Dedication: for my little brother, thanks for (almost) always being on the same wavelength as me.

Tom skidded into the mess hall and tapped Harry on the back. “Red Alert, Harry,” he proclaimed. 

Harry eyed him warily. “What is it this time?” 

“So I was in Sickbay on one of my shifts with the Doc. And guess what I overheard!” Tom didn’t wait for Harry to respond. “He took a call from that resort where we had shore leave last week, and I heard them discussing a pregnancy test found in one of the cabins!”

“So?” 

“Who the hell is pregnant?” Tom exclaimed. Heads whipped around at his tone, but upon identifying Tom’s usual exuberance, crew members soon returned to their meals. At the command team’s usual table, Chakotay lifted his head from his mug of tea to observe the commotion and listen in. 

Harry sighed. The rumors would surely be flying at warp ten by the time they finished their lunch. 

“Calm down, Tom. Did you ever think it might be one of the resort staff? Or someone from a different ship?”

“Maybe, but why on Earth would they bother to contact _our_ doctor if that was true? It’s gotta be someone on _Voyager!_ ” 

“Let me guess. You want me to help you figure out who it is,” said Harry flatly.

Tom pouted. “Please? It’ll be fun! Like a real life Sherlock Holmes mystery.” 

Harry knew Tom would continue to bug him until he agreed. After holding out through two minutes of wheedling, he found himself conceding, and walked out of the mess hall on Tom’s heels to start their investigation.

#####

Hours later, Tom and Harry met by the turbolift on Deck 2.

“Any luck?” Harry asked, as they walked toward the mess hall for dinner. 

“Nope,” Tom replied glumly. “I ruled out all the crewmembers on my list pretty quickly. You?” He nodded to Commander Chakotay, who was just passing them in the other direction, a bottle of Antarian cider tucked under his arm.

“Same here,” Harry confirmed. “I checked with the other half and it wasn’t any of them. Must have been someone on a different ship. The resort’s pretty popular.” He patted Tom on the back in consolation. 

“I guess. Another baby would have been nice though,” Tom said. “Someone to play with Miral, y’know?” 

“Yeah. It’ll happen eventually, though. People have already started pairing off, it’ll be no time at all until the ship is full of playmates for Miral.”

Tom didn’t seem convinced so Harry decided a distraction was in order. “I know it’s supposed to be a guy’s night, but… how about we skip the mess hall and have dinner at your place instead? You can show me that painting Miral made.”

Tom’s face brightened. “You’re on.”

#####

Chakotay let himself into Kathryn’s quarters, amused with the conversations he’d heard that day.

“Kathryn?” he called out from the doorway. 

“In here!”

Guided by the sound of her voice, he entered the dining area and found her bent over the replicator, humming along to Mahler’s Symphony. 

“You’ll never believe what’s going around the ship this time,” he chortled, crossing to the cabinets to retrieve the wine glasses. 

“Oh?”

“Tom and Harry were convinced that someone on board is pregnant! From the way Tom was shouting in the mess hall, I’m certain the entire crew’s heard about it by now.”

It became very quiet suddenly. He turned away from the kitchen to see her sitting at the dining table, face drawn and pale. 

“Can we talk?”

“Of course, sweetheart. You can tell me anything. What’s going on?” His voice dropped low, full of concern. 

She locked eyes with him and spoke gently. “I’m pregnant.”

“Oh,” he said, eloquently. 

“I don’t understand how. We were so careful.” She paused, searching for his reaction, but he was still frozen in shock.

“I got about a million thoughts running around in my head,” she continued. “But I really just want to know what you're thinking. I know it’s so soon and the crew doesn’t even know about us but—”

He picked up her hand and clasped her palm fully in his, much like he had the night he’d told her the legend of the Angry Warrior and they kissed for the first time. 

“Okay, here's what I'm thinking,” Chakotay began. “I was going to wait until our anniversary, take you somewhere romantic, perhaps in a canoe—most likely in a canoe.” He glanced down, tugging his ear lightly. “Actually, I made one in our Lake George program for that purpose.” 

The corner of her mouth lifted ever so slightly at his nervousness. 

“But given the news, and given my significant feelings for you…” He reached into the pocket of his trousers slowly, then pulled his hand out, cupping a beautiful black velvet box in the palm of his hand. 

Kathryn gaped at him. “Chakotay,” she whispered reverently. The replicator beeped angrily behind her but neither of them paid it any mind.

He went down on one knee in front of her chair. “Kathryn Janeway… will you marry me?”

“Yes,” she said eagerly, before the last word had left his lips.

Chakotay rose and moved to remove the ring from its casing, but she stopped him. “On one condition.”

“Anything, my love. Ask me for anything in the Delta Quadrant, and I will give it to you.”

Kathryn smirked. “I’ve been engaged for months before. I don’t want to wait, and I don’t want anything big or elaborate. In fact, the smaller the better.”

She placed a hand to her hip. “I assume you can deal with that?” she challenged him.

“Absolutely. As far as I’m concerned, we could do it right now.”

Chakotay broke into a wide grin, which Kathryn returned joyfully as they realized that their wedding could be performed immediately. 

They hurried out of her cabin, leaving the now forgotten cider on the dining table.

#####

Wearing a white tunic splotched with grease marked, B’Elanna waited impatiently with Neelix for the turbolift doors to open on Deck 2. 

When the lift finally arrived, her eyes widened as she took in the sight of the Captain and the Commander standing inside, arms intertwined casually. 

“Is everything alright in engineering, B’Elanna?” Janeway asked, nodding to her odd clothing.

“Nothing to worry about, Captain. Neelix was just helping me with the plasma manifolds and things got a little … messy.” Neelix really was adamant about learning some of the engineering systems so he could be useful in a crisis, but his enthusiasm was starting to wear on her nerves.

Tuvok had great timing in calling her to the bridge, or she would have probably faked an emergency with Miral to get Neelix out from underfoot. 

“Isn’t it Gamma shift?” Neelix observed. “Where are you going?”

“To find Tuvok, getting married,” Chakotay explained calmly.

“Okay. See you later,” Neelix replied, putting one foot into the turbolift. B’Elanna’s eyes grew to galactic proportions behind him. She stayed in the corridor, waiting for his mind to catch up.

A moment later, Neelix’s head flew around and his legs tangled into a pretzel. “Wha— What? Who’s—?” he stuttered blearily. 

Janeway stepped forward to help him up. “Are you alright?”

“I just—I'm having so many thoughts and feelings that I'm paralyzed right now.” 

“Would you two like to come?” Chakotay offered.

“Can I be your best man?” B’Elanna blurted.

“Sure. Let’s go.” They disembarked onto the bridge and the happy couple led the way down towards Tuvok, who was seated in the Captain’s chair. 

Neelix followed them, shouting frantically. “Wait!” He tugged on Chakotay’s arm. “If you would just slow down a little, then I could arrange balloons or a flower cake...” B’Elanna covered her face to keep from laughing at his distraught expression.

Janeway paused at Tuvok’s side. “Commander Tuvok, we would like to get married,” she stated. 

Her tactical officer turned to her, puzzled. “Captain. This is most unexpected.”

“I know,” she said. A bit of the command steel dropped into her voice, despite (or maybe because of) her loving glances in Chakotay’s direction. 

Tuvok studied their joined hands. “May I ask the date of the wedding?”

“Today. It’s a bit unusual—” 

“—but we both—”

Tuvok cut off Chakotay’s explanation. “I understand.” 

The Captain continued walking and addressed Neelix, who had been following just behind her with baited breath at the proceedings. “Neelix, would you please be my man of honor?”

“Captain, you have no idea what that means to me. ” His voice was low and hitched on each word. “I—”

She smiled softly. “I have some idea”

They paused on the other end of the bridge. “Come on,” Janeway entreated the motley wedding party, heading into her ready room. 

Neelix trailed behind, scanning the room wildly for wedding supplies. “Well this is like a waking nightmare…of happiness. Uh…I need to get some flowers.” 

He reached for a coffee cup with stationary. “Why don't you hold this colorful bouquet of highlighters?” he asked the Captain, with the seriousness only an event planner for a stranded, overburdened ship could have. 

He marched around the room. “Rice, I need to find some rice, I need to throw some rice. Why is there no rice in this Federation starship?” He glared at the couch. B’Elanna wondered why he didn’t simply use the replicator in the corner. 

“Let’s go, Tuvok,” Chakotay insisted. 

“Hey, hey, calm your whiskers Mr. Tuvok, okay?” Neelix broke in sharply. He had finally caught on about the replicator, and was ordering rice from it, but it wasn’t cooperating. Maybe the Captain was on to something when she complained that it held a grudge against her, B’Elanna mused. 

“Belay that order, Commander,” the Captain said. “Shortest possible ceremony. I am tired of not being married to this man.” She gripped the highlighter bouquet in both hands and leaned into Chakotay’s side. 

Tuvok obeyed. “Do you, Kathryn Janeway, take Chakotay to be your husband?” 

Clinging to B’Elanna’s arm behind them, Neelix screamed, “ooh it’s happening.” B’Elanna elbowed him to shut up, for Kahless’ sake.

“I certainly do.”

“Oh my stars,” Neelix yelped. B’Elanna stepped on his toes, and he howled and backed away, toward the faulty replicator.

“And do you, Chakotay, take—”

“Yes, I do.”

“Very well,” intoned Tuvok.

“Wait!” Neelix hopped around, having finally retrieved rice from the replicator.

Unbothered, Tuvok continued, “By the power vested in me—”

Neelix placed himself between Tuvok and the nearly-married couple adamantly. “Before you— I would just like to give a short speech, if I may.”

Tuvok nodded, and Chakotay added, “You have ten seconds.”

“At first contact, it may seem as though Captain Janeway and I had nothing in common, but Eldaxon's Collected Dictionary defines ‘friend—’”

“Time.”

“I—ugh!” Neelix sputtered indignantly. 

“Thank you, Neelix,” said the Captain. “I could tell where you were going with that, and it was going to be beautiful.”

He waved off her praise, and Tuvok gratefully returned to the protocols of the wedding ceremony.

“I now pronounce you man and wife,” he declared.

“Hooray!” Neelix tossed the rice around as the Captain and Commander kissed gently. 

Chakotay broke away from his wife. “Great job, everyone. The reception will be held in each of our individual quarters, alone.” 

As the couple left the bridge in a hurry, Neelix placed a hand over his heart and gazed after them tearfully. “That was beautiful.”

#####

“Captain, Seven asked to see you in Cargo Bay Two,” Harry said when the command team stepped into the turbolift. She dropped hands with Chakotay once she registered Harry’s presence, hoping to keep things under wraps from everyone not on Gamma shift until an official announcement could be done. 

“Really? I wonder what that’s about,” she murmured under her breath. Harry and Chakotay followed her out of the lift, and Chakotay nearly knocked her over when she abruptly halted just beyond the lift doors. 

Steadying her with his arm, he looked up to see a large banner proclaiming, WELCOME BABY JANEWAY! Underneath was a slightly smaller one which read, CONGRATS NEWLYWEDS, with an illustration signed by Noami Wildman of the two of them holding hands. 

Chakotay’s focus moved back to Kathryn beside him. Her hands covered her mouth in surprise and her eyes radiated joy as she took in the celebrations. 

Neelix held a large cake with a photo of Kathryn and Chakotay all dressed up from last year’s Prixin party. Tom stood by him, looking overjoyed, and B’Elanna was beaming at the Captain, with little Miral waving her limbs madly in her arms. Harry slid up to them and blew a streamer triumphantly, and Naomi waved brightly from her mother’s side. 

Tuvok stood stoically beside the Wildmans; a party hat dangled from his arm, unworn. Having given up on Tuvok, the Doctor was now attempting to cajole Seven into wearing a bright red party hat, in the name of her social lessons. The rest of the crew filled out the area around the banner; she spotted the Delaney sisters giggling together, Mike Ayala pouring drinks, and Marla Gilmore chatting away with Tal Celes. Clearly, the crew had worked out the news for themselves. 

The Doctor beelined over to congratulate them - and also to get a head start on berating Kathryn into taking her health more seriously. Neelix passed out glasses of champagne and sparkling Kalbissian fruit juice, and the crew began to mingle.

After some time, Kathryn and Chakotay moved to the center of the room to address the crew. Kathryn tapped her glass, quieting the crowd. “Thank you all so much,” she said. “Chakotay and I are honored to have such a wonderful, supportive crew.”

Her eyes flitted across the faces of her crew as she lifted her glass to them solemnly. “I know the news of the baby may have come as a shock to many of you. But we’ll get through this the same way we got through everything the Delta Quadrant has thrown at as so far. Together.” 

The crew applauded enthusiastically and she smiled, moving on to more lighthearted matters. “What a beautiful cake, Neelix!”

“Actually, Tuvok made it, Captain,” Neelix said, with a proud look to the Vulcan. 

“On occasion, I do still find baking to be … stimulating,” Tuvok stated.

Kathryn grinned at her oldest friend, a deep wave of contentment welling within her. Looking at her crew while holding her husband’s hand, she began to know the true meaning of peace. 


End file.
